By Zainab Calcuttawala
Rabat - Moroccan security forces dismantled a 10-member, ISIS-affiliated terror cell active in the cities of Essaouira, Meknes, and Sidi Kasem on Thursday.
According to a press release by the Central Office of Judicial Research, law enforcement officers arrested the leader of the group in their “safe house” located in the coastal city of El Jadida.
One of the members of the cell, which was described as “dangerous” is a French citizen.
The members of the cell were arrested with a large stock of weapons that they were planning to use to “carry out large-scale guerrilla-style warfare” in the Kingdom, according to the release.
Security forces confiscated a total of 13 tear gas bombs, four metal batons capable of electric detonation, four machine guns, three pistols, one automatic rifle with telescopic sight, and a significant amount of ammunition during the raid of the safe house.
Officers also found six glass bottles containing hazardous chemicals and three other bottles containing suspicious liquid substances, all of which could have been used to create explosives at the behest of the leaders of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), one of whom currently resides in Turkey. The presence of ISIS banners confirmed their affiliation with the group, according to the statement.
The raid comes following the release of videos narrated by Moroccan fighters in ISIS who have threatened to return to Morocco and disturb the country’s peace and security.
The Ministry of the Interior also released a statement about the success of the arrests, emphasizing that Morocco’s efforts have been “constructive” as they had led to the absolution of 152 terrorist cells since 2002, including 31 ISIS affiliated cells since 2013.
The suspects will be put on trial once full investigations are completed, according to the ministry.
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